On August 8, 1974, Richard Nixon made history by becoming the first U.S. president to resign from office. This happened because of the Watergate scandal, one of the biggest political scandals in American history. But what caused Nixon to step down?
In June 1972, five men were caught breaking into the Democratic Party’s office at the Watergate building in Washington, D.C. At first, it seemed like a simple burglary, but investigators soon found that these men were connected to Nixon’s re-election team.
It turned out that the break-in was part of a larger plan to spy on Nixon’s political opponents. This wasn’t all. Nixon’s administration also misused government agencies to target people they didn’t like and tried to cover up what happened.
The press played a big role in uncovering the truth. Reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein from The Washington Post dug deeper into the story. They found out that people close to Nixon were involved in illegal activities.
The most shocking evidence came when it was discovered that Nixon recorded conversations in the White House. These tapes showed that he knew about the cover-up and tried to stop the investigation.
By 1974, the pressure on Nixon was too much. Congress started the process to impeach him. Even members of his own political party turned against him. Realizing he had no support left, Nixon decided to resign.
In his farewell speech on August 8, 1974, Nixon said, “I must put the interest of America first.” The next day, Vice President Gerald Ford became the new president.